Order picking systems and methods using mobile robots

ABSTRACT

Robotic automation and methods described herein can be used to enhance the efficiencies of order fulfillment and inventory stowage processes. For example, this document describes the use of mobile robots in conjunction with a human order picker to pick and transport items for order fulfillment processes in an efficient manner. The described systems and methods allow the elimination of human labor particularly related to transporting saleable goods and similar items. Mobile robots take over many of the tasks related to transporting the picked items. Accordingly, the efficiency of the human order picker, as measured by the number of line items picked per hour for example, is greatly enhanced.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/711,676, filed Jul. 30, 2018. The disclosure of the priorapplication is considered part of (and is incorporated by reference in)the disclosure of this application.

BACKGROUND

The ability to efficiently and accurately process customer orders hasbecome an essential part of doing business. In many order-pickingprocesses, items are stored in fixed locations on static shelving orpallet rack. A human order picker operates a forklift to pick one orderat a time following a route up and down each aisle of a warehouse untilthe all the items on the entire order are picked. The order picker willusually use some type of picking cart into which the items are placed.The picking cart is then transported on the forklift by the human orderpicker to the next station (e.g., packaging, the shipping dock,sortation engine, etc.).

This basic order picking method can work relatively well in operationswith a small total number of orders and a high number of items/picks perorder. Operations with lower items/picks per order will find the traveltime excessive in this type of picking, and operations with largenumbers of orders will find that the congestion from many pickersworking in the same areas slows down the processing.

In general, rack picking is one of the most labor intensive andexpensive operations in many warehouse operations. Productivity gains inthe form of reducing the travel time are greatly desirable.

SUMMARY

This document describes systems and methods for enhancing theefficiencies of order fulfillment and inventory stowage processes. Forexample, this document describes the use of mobile robots in conjunctionwith a human-operated order picker lift to pick and transport items fororder fulfillment processes in an efficient manner.

In one aspect, this disclosure is directed to an order picking system.In some embodiments, the system includes: (i) an order picker configuredto transport a cargo holder configured for receiving items picked fromstorage; (ii) a first mobile robot configured to transport the cargoholder; (iii) a second mobile robot configured to transport the cargoholder; and (iv) a warehouse fleet manager system in wirelesscommunication with each of the order picker and the first and secondmobile robots. In some embodiments, the warehouse fleet manager systemis configured to: (a) control the first mobile robot to move incorrespondence with movements of the order picker; (b) control thesecond mobile robot to move in correspondence with the movements of theorder picker; (c) control the first mobile robot to move into a firstcargo holder transfer position proximate to the order picker to receivea first cargo holder from the order picker; (d) control the first mobilerobot to transport the first cargo holder received from the order pickerto one or more remote locations; and (e) control the second mobile robotto move into a second cargo holder transfer position such that a secondcargo holder can be transferred to the order picker.

Such an order picking system may optionally include one or more of thefollowing features. The first and second cargo holders may each becages. In some embodiments, the order picker lowers the first cargoholder onto a floor and then the first mobile robot moves under thefirst cargo holder to receive it. In particular embodiments, the orderpicker lowers the first cargo holder onto the first mobile robot and thefirst mobile robot receives it. The cargo holders may each be pallets.In some embodiments, the order picker lowers the first cargo holder ontothe first mobile robot and the first mobile robot receives it. The firstand second cargo holder transfer positions may be a same position. Thefirst and second cargo holder transfer positions may be differingpositions.

In another aspect, this disclosure is directed to a method of orderpicking. The method includes: (1) controlling a first mobile robot tomove in correspondence with movements of an order picker that istransporting a first cargo holder configured for receiving items beingpicked from storage, the first mobile robot being configured to receivethe cargo holder from the order picker; (2) controlling a second mobilerobot to move in correspondence with the movements of the order picker,wherein the second mobile robot is transporting a second cargo holder;(3) controlling the first mobile robot to move into a cargo holdertransfer position proximate to the order picker to receive the firstcargo holder from the order picker; (4) controlling the first mobilerobot to transport the first cargo holder received from the order pickerto one or more remote locations; and (5) controlling the second mobilerobot to move into the cargo holder transfer position such that thesecond cargo holder can be transferred to the order picker.

Such a method of order picking may optionally include one or more of thefollowing features. Each of the controlling steps may be performed by awarehouse fleet manager system. The warehouse fleet manager system maybe in wireless communication with each of the order picker and the firstand second mobile robots. The first and second mobile robots may becontrolled to shadow the movements of the order picker.

In another aspect, this disclosure is directed to a method of pickingordered items and stowing replenishment items. The method includes: a)transferring, by a worker operating an order picker, one or more firstordered items from first storage locations and putting the one or morefirst ordered items in or on a first cargo holder that is engaged withthe order picker; b) transferring, from the order picker to a firstmobile robot, the first cargo holder with the one or more first ordereditems in or on it; c) after the transferring of the first cargo holderwith the one or more first ordered items in or on it to the first mobilerobot, transferring, from a second mobile robot, a second cargo holderwith one or more replenishment items in or on it such that the secondcargo holder with the one or more replenishment items in or on itbecomes engaged with the order picker; d) transferring, by the workeroperating the order picker, the one or more replenishment items from thesecond cargo holder that is engaged with the order picker into storagelocations; and e) after the transferring of the one or morereplenishment items into the storage locations, transferring, by theworker operating the order picker, one or more second ordered items fromsecond storage locations and putting the one or more second ordereditems in or on the second cargo holder that is engaged with the orderpicker. In some embodiments, the method also includes: f) transferring,from the order picker to the second mobile robot, the second cargoholder with the one or more second ordered items in or on it.

The systems and processes described here may be used to provide one ormore of the following optional benefits. First, labor costs associatedwith order fulfillment processes overall may be reduced using theautomated systems and processes described herein. For example, thesystems and processes described herein can function largely autonomouslyor semi-autonomously, thereby reducing the need for human involvement inthe process of transporting items that are picked from inventory and/orthat need to be stowed into inventory. The lessened human involvementadvantageously translates to lower operating costs. Second, the use ofautomation systems such as mobile robots as described herein canaccelerate the speed of order fulfillment processes. Such reductions incycle time for order fulfillment in some cases can facilitate quickerdelivery of ordered items to customers, stores, and the like.Accordingly, customer satisfaction can be increased, andinventory-carrying costs can be decreased. Third, quality can beimproved through automation so as to reducing potential human error.Robotic systems can be coded to deliver cargo to multiple granulardownstream process points. Humans are statistically prone to a higherlevel of error than automation processes. Fourth, the density or numberof order pickers per aisle can be increased. Most operations limit thenumber of order pickers to aisles because it is difficult or impossiblein many cases for trucks to pass each other. A picker that has completedhis task could therefore be blocked from dropping cargo by anotherpicker in the same aisle that has not completed his/her task. Mobilerobots with cargo, however, are much smaller and more precise inmaneuvering, and could therefore pass pickers. This would allow for theoperation of multiple order pickers per aisle, further improving cycletime.

Other features, aspects and potential advantages will be apparent fromthe accompanying description and figures.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a human worker who is operating an order picker totransfer items from storage racking into an order picker cage in exampleorder picking scenario.

FIG. 2 illustrates a human worker who is operating an order picker totransfer items from a pallet that is engaged with the order picker intopallet storage racking in an example item stowing scenario.

FIG. 3 illustrates the same scenario as FIG. 1 with the addition of afirst mobile robot that is standing by, waiting to receive the filledorder picker cage from the human-operated high-bay order picker.

FIG. 4 illustrates the placement of the filled order picker cage fromthe human-operated high-bay order picker onto the first mobile robot,and also illustrates a second mobile robot that is carrying an emptyorder picker cage.

FIG. 5 illustrates the first mobile robot in the process of transportingthe filled order picker cage, and also illustrates the second mobilerobot moving into position to transfer the empty order picker cage tothe high-bay order picker.

FIG. 6 illustrates the high-bay order picker with the empty order pickercage, and also illustrates the second mobile robot now waiting toreceive the order picker cage from the human-operated high-bay orderpicker when the order picker cage has been filled.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This document describes systems and methods for enhancing theefficiencies of order fulfillment and inventory stowage processes. Forexample, this document describes the use of mobile robots in conjunctionwith a human-operated high-bay order picker lift to pick and transportitems for order fulfillment processes in an efficient manner. Inparticular, the systems and methods described herein can greatly reducethe amount of time that the human worker that is picking orders spendstransporting the picked items. As described further below, mobile robotstake over many of the tasks related to transporting the picked items.Accordingly, the efficiency of the human worker that is picking orders,as measured by the number of line items picked per hour for example, isgreatly enhanced.

In some embodiments, this innovation is directed to order fulfillmentsystems and methods using autonomous or semi-autonomous mobile robots inconjunction with human-operated order picker lifts (e.g., high-bay orderpicker). The human picks goods/items from warehouse storage locationsand places the goods in a cargo holder or receptacle (such as an orderpicker cage or pallet) that is engaged with the order picker lift beingoperated by the human. When the time comes to transport the receptaclethat is holding the picked goods/items to a drop location (such as to anorder sorting area, packaging area, shipping area, and the like), thereceptacle is transferred from the order picker lift to the mobilerobot. Then the mobile robot transports the receptacle holding thegoods/items to one or more designated areas. During the time that themobile robot is transporting the receptacle and goods/items, thehuman-operated order picker lift can quickly resume order picking.Accordingly, the human-operated order picker spends more time pickingand less time transporting goods/items. The efficiency of the overallsystem is better than if the human-operated order picker has totransport the goods to the one or more designated areas for subsequenthandling/processing.

In some embodiments, the mobile robots are programmed/controlled to“shadow” the human-operated order picker lift. In particular, in someembodiments a first empty mobile robot is always physically near to thehuman-operated order picker lift and ready to receive the receptacleholding the picked goods/items. In addition, a second mobile robot thatis transporting an empty receptacle would always be near to thehuman-operated order picker lift, and ready to transfer the emptyreceptacle to the human-operated high-bay order picker lift. Aftertransferring the empty receptacle, the second mobile robot can assumethe duties of the first mobile robot, i.e., shadowing the human-operatedorder picker lift and awaiting to receive a receptacle holding pickedsaleable goods/items. This arrangement maximizes the percentage of timethat the human-operated order picker lift spends actually pickingsaleable goods/items from warehouse storage locations. Hence, thesystems described herein make efficient use of human labor.

Referring to FIG. 1, a human worker 10 is depicted as operating an orderpicker 100 in a warehouse to execute an order picking process. Toexecute such an order picking process, the worker 10 transfers one ormore ordered items from the warehouse shelving or pallet rack to a cargoholder 110 that is engaged with the order picker 100. In this depictedexample, the cargo holder is an order picker cage 110. In someembodiments, the order picker cage 110 includes casters so that theorder picker cage 110 can be rolled around like a cart.

Typically, an order management system provides instructions to theworker 10 regarding what item(s) to pick, and the inventory locationsfrom which to pick the item(s). The picked items may be for thefulfillment of an ecommerce order, store replenishment order, inventorytransfer order, or any other type of order or inventory transferinstruction. The worker 10 generally picks one order at a time fromstorage, following a route up and down each aisle until the entire orderis picked. The order picking instructions will typically list the itemsto be picked in the same sequence that the items are located along thepicking flow path. During the picking process, the worker 10 willsometimes use a bar-code scanner to wand-in a bar code of the items toconfirm those items have been picked and put into the order picker cage110.

When all of the items of the order have been picked/transferred into theorder picker cage 110, or when the order picker cage 110 is full,conventionally the worker 10 will then drive the order picker 100 toanother area of the warehouse to drop off the order picker cage 110.Next, the worker 10 will drive the order picker 100 to pick up an emptyorder picker cage 110. Then, the worker 10 will drive the order picker100 that is engaged with the empty order picker cage 110 back to theracking/shelving to begin the picking process for another order.

Based upon the teachings herein, one of skill in the art will readilyunderstand that, in order to execute this conventional manual orderpicking process described above, the worker 10 spends an excessiveamount of time traveling within the warehouse. That time spent travelingmay be essentially unproductive time for the worker 10. As described inmore detail below, some embodiments described herein provide a solutionin which the worker 10 can spend a greater proportion of time actuallypicking items, rather than transporting the picked items and empty cargoholders. Moreover, operations with large numbers of orders will findthat the congestion from many pickers working in the same areas slowsdown the processing.

Referring to FIG. 2, a human worker 12 is depicted as operating an orderpicker 100 in a warehouse to execute an inventory replenishment stowingprocess. To execute such an inventory replenishment stowing process, theworker 10 transfers one or more replenishment items 130 from a cargoholder 120 that is engaged with the order picker 100 to the warehouseshelving or pallet racks. In this depicted example, the cargo holder 120is pallet 120. Such an inventory replenishment stowing process isessentially the reverse of an order picking process.

In a conventional inventory replenishment stowing process, when all ofthe items 130 from the cargo holder 120 have been transferred by theworker 12 to the shelving/racks, the worker 12 will then drive the orderpicker 100 with the empty cargo holder 120 to drop off the empty cargoholder 120 in a designated area of the warehouse. Next, the worker willdrive the order picker 100 to pick up another cargo holder 120 that iscarrying more items to be stowed in the shelving/racks. Then, the worker10 will drive the order picker 100 that is engaged with the full cargoholder 120 back to a designated racking/shelving area to begin thestowing process for the items on/in the cargo holder 120.

Based upon the teachings herein, one of skill in the art will readilyunderstand that, in order to execute the conventional inventoryreplenishment stowing process described above, the worker 10 may spendan excessive amount of time traveling within the warehouse, which isessentially unproductive time for the worker 10. As described in moredetail below, some embodiments described herein provide a solution inwhich the worker 10 can spend a greater proportion of time actuallystowing items in/on the shelving/racks, rather than transporting theempty and/or full cargo holders 120.

This document describes systems and methods for enhancing theefficiencies of order fulfillment and inventory stowage processes. Forexample, this document describes the use of mobile robots to greatlyreduce the amount of time that the human worker that is picking ordersor stowing inventory spends in transportation. As described furtherbelow, mobile robots take over many of the tasks related to transportingitems. Accordingly, the efficiency of the human worker that is pickingorders or stowing inventory, as measured by the number of line itemspicked/stowed per hour for example, is greatly enhanced.

FIG. 3 illustrates the same scenario as FIG. 1, but with the addition ofa first mobile robot 300 that is standing by, waiting to receive theorder picker cage 110 from the order picker 100 that is being operatedby the human worker 10. The worker 10 will control the order picker 100to transfer the order picker cage 110 to the first mobile robot 300 whenappropriate (e.g., when all of the items for the order have been putinto the order picker cage 110, when the order picker cage 110 is full,and so on).

When the order picker cage 110 is ready to be transported to one or moreother areas in the warehouse, the order picker cage 110 will betransferred from the order picker 100 to the first mobile robot 300.Then, the first mobile robot 300 will automatically transport the orderpicker cage 110 to the one or more other areas in the warehouse. Whilethe first mobile robot 300 is transporting the order picker cage 110,the worker 10 can go back to the job of picking items for the nextorder, for example. Accordingly, the worker 10 operating the orderpicker 100 will not be tied up as the order picker cage 110 istransported, and the productivity of the worker 10 (e.g., as measured innumber of items picked per hour) will be significantly improved (ascompared to if the worker 10 transported the order picker cage 110.

Referring to FIG. 4, when it is time to transfer the order picker cage110 from the order picker 100 to the first mobile robot 300, in someembodiments the first mobile robot 300 will move into a cargo transferposition proximate to the order picker 100. Then, the worker 10 willplace the order picker cage 110 onto the first mobile robot 300.Alternatively, in some embodiments the worker 10 will place the orderpicker cage 110 onto the floor, and then the first mobile robot 300 willmove under the order picker cage 110 and lift the order picker cage 110.Once the order picker cage 110 has been transferred to the first mobilerobot 300, then the first mobile robot 300 will begin to transport theorder picker cage 110 to one or more other locations within thewarehouse (e.g., shipping, packaging, sortation, attribute collection,another storage location, etc.).

Still referring to FIG. 4, in some embodiments a second mobile robot 400that is transporting an empty order picker cage 410 can be standing by,waiting to transfer the order picker cage 410 to the order picker 100that is being operated by the human worker 10. Accordingly, the humanworker 10 operating the order picker 100 will not have to travel to getan empty order picker cage 410. In this way, the time that the worker 10spends picking (transferring items from the storage rack/shelves to thecargo holder) is maximized because the worker 10 spends little to notime transporting the full and empty cargo holders (e.g., order pickercages 110 and 410).

Referring to FIG. 5, once the order picker cage 110 has been transferredto the first mobile robot 300, the first mobile robot 300 will thenbegin to transport the order picker cage 110 to one or more otherlocations within the warehouse for further handling/processing. Once thefirst mobile robot 300 carrying the order picker cage 110 has moved awayfrom the order picker 100, the second mobile robot 400 will move intothe cargo transfer position proximate to the order picker 100. In someembodiments, the second mobile robot 400 will place the order pickercage 410 on the floor near to the order picker 100, and then move awayfrom the order picker cage 410 so that the order picker 100 can movetoward the order picker cage 410 and engage with the order picker cage410. In some embodiments, the second mobile robot 400 carrying the orderpicker cage 410 will move close to the order picker 100, and then theworker 10 will operate the order picker 100 to engage with and lift theorder picker cage 410 off from the second mobile robot 400. Then, theworker 10 will operate the order picker 100 (engaged with the orderpicker cage 410), and begin picking items again from storage and placingthe items into the order picker cage 410.

Referring to FIG. 6, when the order picker cage 410 has been transferredfrom the second mobile robot 400 to the order picker 100, then thesecond mobile robot 400 can move a short distance away from the orderpicker 100 and stand by to receive the order picker cage 410 once theappropriate time comes (e.g., when the order picker cage 410 is full oran entire order has been picked). Said another way, after transferringthe empty order picker cage 410 to the order picker 100, the secondmobile robot 400 can take on the role that was previously played by thefirst mobile robot 300 in the context of FIG. 3 (waiting nearby toreceive a cargo holder that is holding items that then need to betransported elsewhere).

While the second mobile robot 400 is waiting to receive the order pickercage 410, a third mobile robot (not shown) that is carrying anotherempty order picker cage can move near to the order picker 110. The thirdmobile robot carrying the empty order picker cage would take on the rolethat was previously played by the second mobile robot 400 in the contextof FIG. 4. Accordingly, it should be understood that the process ofalways having at least two mobile robots near to the order picker 100can be cyclical and ongoing (where one of the two mobile robots is readyto receive a cargo holder with items from the order picker 100, and theother mobile robot is carrying an empty cargo holder to be transferredto the order picker 100). In other words, mobile robots will beessentially constantly coming and going from the order picker 100,transporting cargo holders (empty cargo holders or cargo holders thatinclude picked items). In this manner, the time spent by the worker 10transporting cargo holders is minimized, and the time spent by theworker 10 picking items is maximized.

One or more computerized systems, such as a warehouse fleet managersystem, can be used to automatically control the movements of the mobilerobots as described above. For example, the mobile robots 300 and 400and the order picker 100 can be in wireless communication with the fleetmanager system such that the fleet manager system can detect thelocations of the mobile robots 300 and 400 and the order picker 100, andsend control commands to the mobile robots 300 and 400 to cause themmove when and where as necessary to execute the processes describedherein. In some embodiments, the mobile robots 300 and 400 can includevision systems and/or other types of sensors to facilitate the executionof the processes described herein.

In some cases, the mobile robots 300 and 400 are controlled by the fleetmanager system to shadow the movements of the order picker 100. That is,the mobile robots 300 and 400 can be controlled to automatically move inresponse to movements of the order picker 100. In that way, the mobilerobots 300 and 400 can stay in relatively close proximity to the orderpicker 100 at all times (e.g., in a master-slave relationship) whilewaiting for direct interactions with the order picker 100.Alternatively, in some embodiments the mobile robots 300 and/or 400 canbe staged in a designated area (such as at an end of a warehouse aisle)while waiting for direct interactions with the order picker 100.

An order management system, which can provide a pick list of items thatthe worker 10 needs to put into/on the cargo holder for an order, canalso be in communication with the fleet manager system. When the ordermanagement system has detected that the worker 10 has picked all of thenecessary items (e.g., in response to inventory transactions made by theworker 10 in the order management system), the order management systemcan provide a signal to the fleet manager system to send a standing-byempty mobile robot to pick up the cargo holder that includes thenecessary items. Alternatively or additionally, in some cases the worker10 can enter a command that triggers the fleet manager system to sendthe standing-by empty mobile robot to pick up the cargo holder thatincludes the necessary items. The order management system can alsocommunicate to the fleet manager system the location(s) to which themobile robot should transport the cargo holder that includes thenecessary items.

Additional Optional Features and Embodiments

In one variation of the above-described process, the human-operatedorder picker lift can pick up a mobile robot that is transporting anempty cargo holder. In other words, the order picker can engage with andlift/transport not only the cargo holder but also the mobile robottransporting the cargo holder. Then, when the time comes for the cargoholder to go to the next location (e.g., after it is sufficiently filledwith picked items), the human-operated order picker lift can simply setdown the mobile robot and cargo holder on the floor, and the mobilerobot will transport the cargo holder to the appropriate location(s).After setting down the mobile robot and cargo holder, the human-operatedorder picker lift can engage and lift/transport another nearby mobilerobot carrying an empty cargo holder (which was shadowing thehuman-operated order picker) and continue picking orders.

While an order picking process that includes the use of mobile robotsfor transporting cargo holders has been described above, it should beunderstood that analogous principles can be used to execute an improvedinventory replenishment stowing process (e.g., as represented in FIG.2). For example, a first mobile robot transporting a cargo holdercontaining replenishment items can automatically move to the orderpicker 100 in the warehouse aisle. The cargo holder containingreplenishment items can be transferred into engagement with the orderpicker 100, and the worker 12 can then transfer the items from the cargoholder (e.g., the pallet 120) to the appropriate rack/shelf storagelocations. When the transferring is complete, the worker 12 can operatethe order picker 100 to transfer the now empty cargo holder to the samemobile robot from which it was received. Then, another mobile robot thatis transporting another cargo holder containing replenishment items canautomatically move to the order picker 100 so that the cargo holder canbe engaged with the order picker 100. This process can be cyclicallyrepeated, with the mobile robots taking over most of the tasks relatedto transporting items. Accordingly, the efficiency of the human worker12 that is stowing items into inventory, as measured by the number ofline items stowed per hour for example, is greatly enhanced.

In yet another variation of the processes described above, order pickingand inventory stowage can be combined into a highly efficientcontinuous-flow process as follows. First, order picking can take placeas depicted in FIGS. 3-5 (e.g., the worker 10 can place ordered itemsfrom the storage racks/shelves into the order picker cage 110). However(in reference to FIGS. 4-6), after the order picker 100 has transferredthe sufficiently-filled order picker cage 110 back to the first mobilerobot 300, the order picker cage 410 transported to the order picker 100by the second mobile robot 400 can include one or more items to bestowed into inventory (rather than being empty). The worker 10 can thenstow the items from the order picker cage 410 into the proper storagelocations. When that stowing process has been completed such that theorder picker cage 410 is empty but still engaged with the order picker100, then the worker 10 can begin another order picking process. Thatis, the worker 10 can then begin to place ordered items from the storageracks/shelves into the emptied order picker cage 410. After the orderpicker 100 has transferred the sufficiently-filled order picker cage 410back to the second mobile robot 400, another order picker cage that iscarrying one or more items to be stowed into inventory (rather thanbeing empty) can be transported to the order picker 100 by a mobilerobot. This combined process of picking, stowing, picking, stowing, andso on, can be cyclically repeated as however desired, and very littleunproductive time by the worker 10 will be incurred. It should be alsounderstood that in some cases the sequence of picking and stowing can beadjusted to optimally suit the needs of the warehouse operation at thattime. For example, an optimized combined process may sequentially be:picking, stowing, stowing, picking, picking, stowing, picking andwhatever process (picking or stowing) makes the most sense next based onthe real-time ongoing dynamic needs of the operation.

In yet another variation of the processes described above, a cargoholder that is used for receiving ordered items can remain at floorlevel while the worker operating the order picker is picking items fromhigher elevations of the racks/shelves. In that arrangement, the itemspicked by the worker can be lowered (e.g., one at a time) to the floorlevel where the items are received by the awaiting cargo holder (e.g.,cage, tote, pallet, etc.). When the cargo holder receiving the ordereditems is sufficiently filled, a mobile robot can then transport thecargo holder and items to the next appropriate warehouse location, andanother empty cargo holder can take its place at floor level waiting toreceive picked ordered items. Using this arrangement, the worker willnot need to spend time traveling vertically (using the order picker) todrop off and pick up cargo holders. Instead, the worker can just keep onpicking. In some embodiments, the mobile robots can take the pickeditems to an order sortation process after the picking. This arrangementuses a vertical transport for transferring the items between the workerand the floor level cargo carrier. The vertical transport could bevarious types of mechanisms (e.g., an elevator, vertical conveyor,telescoping arm, chute, slide, etc.) that is attached to the orderpicker. In some embodiments, a mobile robot with a cargo holder canvertically ascend up to the elevated position of the worker on the orderpicker, and then descend back to the floor level for transport when thecargo holder has been sufficiently filled with order items.

Particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described. Otherembodiments are within the scope of the following claims. For example,the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different orderand still achieve desirable results. As one example, the processesdepicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require theparticular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirableresults. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallelprocessing may be advantageous.

Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here canbe realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry,specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits),computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof.These various implementations can include implementation in one or morecomputer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processor, whichmay be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data andinstructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storagesystem, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

These computer programs (also known as programs, software, softwareapplications or code) include machine instructions for a programmableprocessor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/orobject-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machinelanguage. As used herein, the terms machine-readable medium andcomputer-readable medium refer to any computer program product,apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory,Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs)) used to provide machine instructionsand/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readablemedium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal.The term machine-readable signal refers to any signal used to providemachine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor.

To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniquesdescribed here can be implemented on a computer having a display device(e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor)for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointingdevice (e.g., a mouse, a trackball, or a touchscreen, etc.) by which theuser can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can beused to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example,feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g.,visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input fromthe user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech,tactile input, eye movement tracking input, a brain-computer interface,gesture input, and the like, and combinations thereof).

The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in acomputing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as a dataserver), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an applicationserver), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a client computerhaving a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a usercan interact with an implementation of the systems and techniquesdescribed here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, orfront end components. The components of the system can be interconnectedby any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., acommunication network). Examples of communication networks include alocal area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and the Internet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

While this specification contains many specific implementation details,these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of anyinvention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions offeatures that may be specific to particular embodiments of particularinventions. Certain features that are described in this specification inthe context of separate embodiments can also be implemented incombination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features thatare described in the context of a single embodiment can also beimplemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitablesubcombination. Moreover, although features may be described herein asacting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, oneor more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excisedfrom the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to asubcombination or variation of a sub combination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system modulesand components in the embodiments described herein should not beunderstood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and itshould be understood that the described program components and systemscan generally be integrated together in a single product or packagedinto multiple products.

What is claimed is:
 1. An order picking system, comprising: an orderpicker configured to transport a cargo holder configured for receivingitems picked from storage; a first mobile robot configured to transportthe cargo holder; a second mobile robot configured to transport thecargo holder; and a warehouse fleet manager system in wirelesscommunication with each of the order picker and the first and secondmobile robots, the warehouse fleet manager system configured to: controlthe first mobile robot to move in correspondence with movements of theorder picker; control the second mobile robot to move in correspondencewith the movements of the order picker; control the first mobile robotto move into a first cargo holder transfer position proximate to theorder picker to receive a first cargo holder from the order picker;control the first mobile robot to transport the first cargo holderreceived from the order picker to one or more remote locations; andcontrol the second mobile robot to move into a second cargo holdertransfer position such that a second cargo holder can be transferred tothe order picker.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and secondcargo holders are each cages.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein theorder picker lowers the first cargo holder onto a floor and then thefirst mobile robot moves under the first cargo holder to receive it. 4.The system of claim 2, wherein the order picker lowers the first cargoholder onto the first mobile robot and the first mobile robot receivesit.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the cargo holders are eachpallets.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the order picker lowers thefirst cargo holder onto the first mobile robot and the first mobilerobot receives it.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first andsecond cargo holder transfer positions are a same position.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the first and second cargo holder transferpositions are differing positions.
 9. A method of order picking, themethod comprising: controlling a first mobile robot to move incorrespondence with movements of an order picker that is transporting afirst cargo holder configured for receiving items being picked fromstorage, the first mobile robot being configured to receive the cargoholder from the order picker; controlling a second mobile robot to movein correspondence with the movements of the order picker, wherein thesecond mobile robot is transporting a second cargo holder; controllingthe first mobile robot to move into a cargo holder transfer positionproximate to the order picker to receive the first cargo holder from theorder picker; controlling the first mobile robot to transport the firstcargo holder received from the order picker to one or more remotelocations; and controlling the second mobile robot to move into thecargo holder transfer position such that the second cargo holder can betransferred to the order picker.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein eachof the controlling steps is performed by a warehouse fleet managersystem.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the warehouse fleet managersystem is in wireless communication with each of the order picker andthe first and second mobile robots.
 12. The method of claim 9, whereinthe first and second mobile robots are controlled to shadow themovements of the order picker.
 13. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising controlling a third mobile robot to move into proximity ofthe second mobile robot, wherein the third mobile robot is transportinga third cargo holder.
 14. The method of claim 9, further comprisingcontrolling the second mobile robot to transport the second cargo holderreceived from the order picker to one or more remote locations.
 15. Amethod of picking ordered items and stowing replenishment items, themethod comprising: a) transferring, by a worker operating an orderpicker, one or more first ordered items from first storage locations andputting the one or more first ordered items in or on a first cargoholder that is engaged with the order picker; b) transferring, from theorder picker to a first mobile robot, the first cargo holder with theone or more first ordered items in or on it; c) after the transferringof the first cargo holder with the one or more first ordered items in oron it to the first mobile robot, transferring, from a second mobilerobot, a second cargo holder with one or more replenishment items in oron it such that the second cargo holder with the one or morereplenishment items in or on it becomes engaged with the order picker;d) transferring, by the worker operating the order picker, the one ormore replenishment items from the second cargo holder that is engagedwith the order picker into storage locations; and e) after thetransferring of the one or more replenishment items into the storagelocations, transferring, by the worker operating the order picker, oneor more second ordered items from second storage locations and puttingthe one or more second ordered items in or on the second cargo holderthat is engaged with the order picker.
 16. The method of claim 15,further comprising: f) transferring, from the order picker to the secondmobile robot, the second cargo holder with the one or more secondordered items in or on it.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein, afterthe second cargo holder with the one or more second ordered items in oron it is transferred to the second mobile robot, the second mobile robottransports the second cargo holder with the one or more second ordereditems in or on it to one or more remote locations.
 18. The method ofclaim 15, wherein, after the first cargo holder with the one or morefirst ordered items in or on it is transferred to the first mobilerobot, the first mobile robot transports the first cargo holder with theone or more first ordered items in or on it to one or more remotelocations.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the first and secondcargo holders are each cages.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein thecargo holders are each pallets.